“wood”

With all-around appealing scents of fresh-cut wood, and other forest-based fragrances that are comforting to deer, this is a scent-control tool that can be used both before and after the hunt.

TriStar likes to be known as the value experts, and the Viper G2 shotgun line is the best example it can offer. The complete Viper G2 line includes the Silver edition, a wood version, a synthetic model, a Realtree Max-4 model and a turkey model.

The 10mm Auto punches above its weight, and in a 1911 it does so in a relatively small package. The Kimber Camp Guard 10 with its nine-round magazine, as AH contributor Keith Wood noted, is a “1911-lover’s backcountry sidearm."

Last week a duck-hunting magazine posted a photo of two hen wood ducks shot by a reader. The comments were mostly positive, but—as you might have guessed—at least one commenter was quick to chastise the guy for shooting hens. Here's Kyle Wintersteen's take.

We all deal with the off-season in different ways. Some people bum around in a state of depression. Others extend their seasons by building wood duck boxes, erecting duck blinds, giving the bird dog a refresher course and shooting a clay or two. Another coping method is going to a gun store and ogling the new shotguns. Here are but a few examples of new models you'll be checking out in 2013.

For those duck hunters who appreciate the look and feel of a double-barrel in the blind, Stoeger unveils the Longfowler shotgun line. An over/under and side-by-side will be available, both of which will sport 30-inch barrels—a classic size for double-barrel fowling piece. The wood stocks are coated with a weather-resistant finish, while the barrels and receivers are a matte black.

If you find yourself in need of a fire for survival, it pays to have the skills and the goods to make one happen. For starters, you need a means of ignition, tinder and plenty of wood—and you should practice making a fire before you actually need one.

Flambeau Outdoors has unveiled the wood carvings that will be used to produce a new StormFront wigeon decoy. Based on these works of art, we have to believe that the plastic decoy versions will also impress. Like all decoys in the family, the StormFront wigeons will feature oversized keels and "UVision" paint, which mimics the reflective properties of real waterfowl feathers.